Photo Challenge #52 / Bokeh

“Christmas Lights” / Theme: Bokeh

A little about this photo…

The final photo of the year! I had a few choices but ultimately decided on this prompt. Basically, I wanted to force myself photographically to create that beautiful bokeh background. And what better bokeh-subject than the Christmas tree! Of course, since the photo is all about lights, I decided to put a candle in the foreground…

See you next year!

{Edited to add: For those of you who might be wondering what the word “bokeh” means… It’s actually a Japanese word that means “blur”. But it’s an intentional blur. Beautiful blur!}

---

THIS WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is posted every Saturday. Please join me in posting your own photos with #2019picoftheweek

Photo Challenge #51 / Contrast

“Pre-Show Jitters” / Theme: Contrast

A little about this photo…

Getting ready to perform… There’s always a little bit of pre-show jitters. When I saw this lighting, I knew I wanted to capture a photo of this. I love the contrast between the orange and black.

---

THIS WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is posted every Saturday. Please join me in posting your own photos with #2019picoftheweek

Photo Challenge #50 / Historical

“What Is It?” / Theme: Historical

A little about this photo…

I have no clue what this is. It’s right at the water’s edge. This is near the location where rowers do their thing, sooooo I’m thinking it’s some sort of boat?? (Certainly not one of the sleek Olympic-style boats you normally see around here. They hold competitions just across the water.)

But… WHY is it here? There’s got to be some history here. Unfortunately, I’ll probably never know.

---

THIS WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is posted every Saturday. Please join me in posting your own photos with #2019picoftheweek

**GIVEAWAY!**

I’m hosting a giveaway one of my 2020 Photography Calendars… **ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE**. Note: Entries must have a valid U.S. or Canadian address. If, for some reason, you cannot use this form, leave me a comment in the comment section below.

Photo Challenge #49 / Wonder

“Wonder in Ice” / Theme: Wonder

A little about this photo…

This past weekend, we had a wee ice storm. And it produced such beauty and wonder in its own way. It’s like a piece of art. Cold art. (And when you’re taking photos in such outdoor conditions, you have to be careful NOT to slip and hurt yourself.)

---

THIS WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is posted every Saturday. Please join me in posting your own photos with #2019picoftheweek

Photo Challenge #48 / Up a Creek

“Flowing Around the Bend” / Theme: Up a Creek

A little about this photo…

This photo is from a few weeks back. Now the leaves are pretty much gone. And yes, that’s a creek… Its official name is Twelve Mile Creek (I believe). I like the church spire (I’m guessing that’s what it is) that is peeking over the trees in the background. I also like how the creek just goes around the bend. What’s up there? Perhaps an adventure!

---

THIS WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is posted every Saturday. Please join me in posting your own photos with #2019picoftheweek

Photo Challenge #47 / Take a Seat

“Grandpa’s Bear” / Theme: Take a Seat

A little about this photo…

This is Bearmont. He’s the bear my grandpa got in the hospital after his heart surgery. I was just a kid when all this happened, and I remember thinking it odd that Grampa needed a bear. (He explained that he was supposed to pull Bearmont to his chest when he coughed.) My grandpa is no longer with us. But on one of my last visits to see my grandma, I pulled Bearmont down to the basement, found this old high chair, and plopped him down. Because I learned, as a kid, that teddy bears are for everybody.

---

THIS WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is posted every Saturday. Please join me in posting your own photos with #2019picoftheweek

Photo Challenge #46 / Round

“Fence Detail” / Theme: Round

A little about this photo…

On one of my photo walks, I came across this fence. I immediately thought of the “Round” prompt on my list. Click! Got it.

I did take a few different angles, but I ended liking this one with the little dried berries framed in the one circle. I do like the reddish  tones that also somehow bring out the reddish rust in the fence.

---

THIS WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is posted every Saturday. Please join me in posting your own photos with #2019picoftheweek

Photo Challenge #45 / Under Water

“On the Creek Bed” / Theme: Under Water

A little about this photo…

I like how you can see under the water to the bottom of the creek. But I also like how you can also see all the reflections on the water… the leaves and even the sky peeking through. It all mingles so nicely together with the rocks and sand and dirt on the creek bed. And of course, the leaves floating on top of the water add their own little contribution to complete the photo.

---

THIS WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is posted every Saturday. Please join me in posting your own photos with #2019picoftheweek

Photo Challenge #44 / Feet

“Octoberfest Dancing Feet” / Theme: Feet

A little about this photo…

I know it’s November, so I’m going back a week or so with this photo from Octoberfest. These feet belong to the children’s dance group. Here they are performing a dance called The Miller’s Dance (Mühlradl)… which is why the boys have these white sheets around their middle covering up their lederhosen. The kids dance a series of circles that (I think) are supposed to mimic the big wheel at a grist mill.

---

THIS WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is posted every Saturday. Please join me in posting your own photos with #2019picoftheweek

Photo Challenge #43 / Pick a Colour

“Autumn Colours” / Theme: Pick a Colour

A little about this photo…

Every year, the leaves lose their green and turn different shades. This year, it seems like pretty much every tree has decided unanimously to pick the colour yellow. I’m always hoping for oranges and reds to mix things up a bit. But alas… it’s yellow.

Still, yellow is a pretty colour, don’t you think?

(By the way, that spire belongs to a church in my neck of the woods. You may recognize it from the photo I chose to go with the announcement of this year’s prompts. I think it’s so pretty. Like it belongs in a fairy tale!)

---

THIS WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is posted every Saturday. Please join me in posting your own photos with #2019picoftheweek